Chesterfield score late to rescue draw at Yeovil Town and keep unbeaten run going

Jesurun Uchegbulam’s first Chesterfield goal rescued a late point for the Spireites after a 2-2 draw at Yeovil Town.
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The Glovers took the lead after just four minutes through Gime Toure but Jamie Grimes cancelled it out on eight minutes.

Josh Staunton looked to have struck a late winner on 80 minutes but substitute Uchegbulam, a summer signing from Matlock Town, fired in eight minutes later.

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The draw keeps the Blues’ unbeaten run going and means they stay top of the league as the teams around them also failed to win.

A minute's silence for the Queen was held before kick-off.A minute's silence for the Queen was held before kick-off.
A minute's silence for the Queen was held before kick-off.

In the end, it was a solid point for Chesterfield who had not been at their best on the day.

Consistency has been at the heart of Town's success so far this season and Paul Cook named the same starting line-up for the third successive game, with the bench also remaining the same from the win against Southend United in midweek, meaning Armando Dobra, Akwasi Asante and Kabongo Tshimanga were not involved.

Ollie Banks started after getting his red card against the Shrimpers successfully overturned.

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Joe Quigley, who signed from Yeovil in January, returned to Huish Park for the first time, while Jack Clarke also had a short loan spell at the Glovers.

As was the case in midweek, respects were paid to the Queen with an impeccable minute's silence before kick-off and both sets of players wore black armbands.

The Glovers, now managed by Chris Hargreaves, went into the fixture with just one so far and among the lowest scorers in the league with just seven, but their defensive record was up there with the teams at the top.

Huish Park has been a happy hunting ground for Chesterfield in the last few years – winning here on the last four occasions – but they fell behind after just four minutes when Toure pounced on a mistake by Tyrone Williams before rounding Lucas Covolan.

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But the Spireites were level just four minutes later when Grimes finished from inside the area after good play by Jeff King and Liam Mandeville in the build-up. Grimes’ goal was his first of the season and Chesterfield’s 10th different scorer of the campaign.

It was a frantic start and it continued to be that way for much of the first-half as the Blues struggled to get a grip of the game and caused their own problems at the back at times.

In fairness, Yeovil played well and did not let the Spireites build-up any momentum, and they looked threatening in the final third with Chiori Johnson and Lawson D’Ath.

The Glovers almost re-took the lead but Owen Bevan headed over from a corner when well-placed and Malachi Linton later fired over from inside the area.

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Up the other end, Town probably did not create as many chances as they would have liked. Banks tested former Spireites goalkeeper Grant Smith from distance, Quigley had a tame effort on target after some initial good approach play and Calvin Miller slipped a shot wide from about 12 yards after Clarke picked him out but the shot was on his weaker foot.

Covolan tipped a free-kick from Matt Worthington wide just before half-time to ensure the scoreline was level at the break.

Chesterfield appeared to have found the control they were looking for in the opening 15 minutes of the second-half, resulting in Liam Mandeville having a shot saved and having a possible shout for a penalty for handball turned down.

But they still had to be wary of the hosts, Covolan saving twice from Toure and then Sam Pearson.

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Tuesday’s comeback win against Southend with 10-men would have taken a lot out of the players, and Cook introduced fresh legs for the final 20 minutes as Uchegbulam and Michael Gyasi replaced Miller and Clarke.

Not long after, Cook went into the referee’s book, seemingly for something he said, which brought some cheers from the Yeovil fanbase.

Chesterfield had not looked convincing at the back for most of the game, and they conceded from a corner with 10 minutes remaining as Staunton turned in Richards’ Everton’s header. It looked like being a late winner.

But, just like against Southend, Cook’s substitutions paid off as Uchegbulam fired in an equaliser from close-range.

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That was a big scare for the Spireites moments after, as Toure almost grabbed a third for Yeovil after a brilliant run and shot.

There were five minutes added time, and Cook’s men pushed for a third briefly, but settled for a point in the Somerset sunshine.